Senate to propose plan for immigration

>> good morning from washington. it's monday, january 28th , 2013 . this is "the daily rundown." i am about an 80% version of my vocal cord version of chuck todd 's. let's goat my first reads. an impressive bipartisan group of senators will outline an immigration reform plan that include as pathway to citizenship for more than 11 million undocumented immigrants . of all the things on the horizon in the next six months, this was always the easiest for one big reason -- republicans have an incentive to get it done as well as democrats. the working group of eight senators includes democrats durbin, schumer, menendez, bennett and republicans mccain , graham, rubio and flake. florida doesn't border on another country but you get my drift. it's an impressive list of names but griagreeing on some details won't be easy. don't call it a gang, by the way. the senators released a four page what i would call a memo of understanding that lays out the principles they say must be part of any deal and these are the principles they all eight agree to. a pathway to citizenship is contingent on first securing the border. by immediately adding new surveillance technology , think drones, more border patrol agents. the proposal would also require a new tracking system to reduce visa overstays. a commission made up of governors in the border states , law enforcement officials and community leaders would assess when enforcement measures had been completed and then the path to citizenship for those undocumented workers . still vague exactly how this commission will decide whether border security benchmarks have been met. were there specific metrics are is it a subjective deal? and when does the clock start on that pathway to citizenship? when it does, in order to gain a probationary status, they would have to register with the federal government , pay a fine and back taxes and pass a background check to make sure they don't have a criminal background, violent history. to gain permanent residency, individuals would have to pay more fine, demonstrate a work history and current employment and they'd have to go behind the back of the line behind every lawful green card applicant. it provide for immigrant who is came to the u.s. as children and those who are agricultural workers. they do not have to go back to their home country . the most important i kquestion to be answered, do knows who are dead set against amnesty believes this is amnesty under another name.

>> i'll give you a little straight talk . look at the last election. look at the last election. we are losing dramatically the hispanic vote, which we think should be ours for a variety of reasons.

>> senator menendez said after a handful of meeting the senators agreed a pathway to citizenship must be part of any comprehensive plan.

>> having a pathway to earned legalization is an essential element and i think that we are largely moving in that direction as an agreement. americans support it in poll after poll. secondly, latino voters expect it. third, the democrats want it and fourth, republicans need it.

>> when it comes to immigration reform , everyone is eager to get ahead of everyone else. by rolling out this senate play today, senators can get ahead of the president who will give his first policy speech on immigration tomorrow. another senator who wants to get ahead of this story, senator marco rubio write, "my hope is president obama will use his voice and influence to further this approach. however, if what he offers is a process for the undocumented that is more lenient, faster and unfair to those waiting to completely, it won't bode well for reform." striking a much friendlier tone on sunday, this is what senator mccain said of the president's effort.

>> believe it or not i see a glimmer of bipartisan out there.

>> we have president obama out there pushing a plan. does it help? hurt?

>> i think it helps. i think it's important we all work to the on this.

>> this will be the first time mccain has signed on to any major obama initiative, though mccain supported fiscal legislation, he opposed don't ask/don't tell and the new start treaty . no one is sure how speaker boehner proceeds, does he violate the so-called hastert rule again? by the way, as for what the president does tomorrow, don't expect specific legislation. there was some talk that they might do that. i'm told that the congressional hispanic caucus suggested to the white house that that was not necessary, that they would like to see the senate see how this group of eight works before the white house gets in with details on their own legislation. we'll see what happens tomorrow. moving on, it was a case where the picture meant a lot more than the words themselves. sunday on "60 minutes eye," two former rivals sat down for an interview which would have been improbable eight years ago and talked about their relationship today.

>> i consider hillary a close friend.

>> very warm, close. i think there's a sense of understanding that sometimes doesn't even take words.

>> friendships involve a sense of trust and being in the foxhole together and that emerged during the course of months when we were making some very tough decisions.

>> the interview was indeed the president's idea. he believed secretary clinton happened him unify the party when it could have splintered. he could have become ted kennedy to his jimmy carter and he felt he owed her a thank you. he lavished praise on secretary clinton describing why he picked her as secretary of state.

>> her discipline, her stamina, her thoughtfulness, her ability to project i think and make clear issues that are important to the american people i thought made her an extraordinary talent. she also was already a world figure.

>> in many ways this was obama pulling frankly a bill clinton , a politically shrewd move, all about the clintons and hillary ace political future. the joke is whether vice president joe biden has been peeled off the ceiling yet but on what may have been the more interesting obama interview published this weekend, the president talked gun control , the future of both parties and football with the "new republic" as they tried to relaunch. the president acknowledged getting gun control through congress will be tough and said "if you group up and your dad gave you a hunting rifle when you were 10 and you spent the day whim and your uncle and that became part of i don't are family traditions, you can see why you would be protective of that." ask if he ever fired a gun, the president went as far to say up at camp david we do skeet shooting all the time. the president will meet with law enforcement officials across america. it's looking more and more like by the way, that a background check bill is the vehicle that is most likely to get through the senate. on friday oklahoma republican senator tom coburn told a tulsa radio station he's working on a bill with senators chuck schumer and jove mansion to keep guns away from criminals and the mentally ill . think about that, a rural republican senator from essentially the south signing on to a bill with a new york senator on background checks . that would be a big deal . in that "new republic" interview, the president weighed in on something gathers of fathers of young boys weigh in on every week, trust me. how do you square your love for football with the growing evidence that the effect head injuries have on players? here's what the president said. "i'm a big football fan but i have to tell you, if i had a son, i'd have to think long and hard before i let him play football. i think that those of us who love the support are going to have to wrestle with the fact that it will probably change gradually to try to reduce some of the violence," putting the onus on the ncaa. it's the last thing the ncaa needs right now but the fact is somebody has to take a leadership position in college football . it's not just about the nfl. and paul ryan previewed the strategy saying the republicans, ready to let the sequester take effect and move ahead on a big debate in the spring and ryan promises he'll have a balanced budget proposal that will balance the budget in ten years.

>> we're not preaching austerity. we're preaching growth and opportunity. what we are saying is if you get our fiscal ship fixed, you preempt austerity.

>> on saturday ryan gave the gop some advice at a conference put on by the nation review institute telling republicans to be, quote, prudent.

>> the president will bait us. he will portray us as cruel and unyielding. we can't get rattled. we won't play the villain in his more rality plays. we have to stay united. we have to show if given the chance that we can govern, that we have better ideas.

>> ryan was joined at the national review over the weekend by a handful of republican governors, including virginia 's bob mcdonald , who had this advice for the party.

>> our politics are off. and we need to be honest about the problems that our movement and our party's got. i know it sounds strange but i think we need to be better community organizers . that's funny, i guess five years ago, it's not so funny now.

>> put that on the list of things a gop governor with presidential ambitions wouldn't have said a year ago at a conference sponsored by the national review . speaking of mcdonnell, he made it clear this weekend that the republican party 's attempt to, quote, fix their problems by simply changing the rules, namely the rules of how the electoral college votes are awarded, that plan is dead in virginia . mcconnell's spokesman said "the governor does not support this legislation. he believes virginia 's existing system works just fine as it is." interestingly, virginia gubernatorial candidate also came out in opposition saying, quote, i don't like breaking up states. i think winner take all is part of how a state matters as a sovereign entity. our side would have gotten more votes this go-round but i want people to have to fight to win the whole state. and even though rnc chairman reince priebus continued to call this effort intriguing rather than trying to kill it in charlotte on friday, it's clear that anybody who is remotely thinking about how to win a statewide office or have presidential ambitions is shutting the door on what is clearly a ridiculous proposals in stats like wisconsin. scott walker saved he's not ruling it out.

>> it's an interesting idea. i haven't committed one way or the other to it. for me or any other state considering this, you should really look at not just the short term but the long-term implications. is it better or worse for the electorate?

>> unbelievable. we'll have bob mcdonnell in studio tomorrow and we'll figure out why he thought being against this proposal was the right for for him.

>> our meet the enough member series be continucontinues. the lone star state representative will be with us. plus the obama hands over the keys to the kingdom . first, a look ahead at the president's schedule. got that meeting with law enforcement officials on guns but look at that in the afternoon. lebron and dwyane wade are coming. the miami heat gets its turn at the white house . let's go heat. we'll be right back. living